19 August 2015

from Saguenay to Øresund

19 August 2015

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Wednesday 19 August 2015--Wake up too early, and go back to sleep. Then wake up too late. Should probably have set an alarm, but hey, I'm on vacation.

My primary purpose in being here is to visit Fort Chambly, and I spend an hour or so poking through it this morning. The French built a number of forts along the Richelieu in the 17th century, to defend the corridor against the Iroquois: Fort Richelieu, at the mouth of the river; Fort Saint-Louis (later Fort Chambly), here; Fort Sainte-Thérèse, about six miles upriver; Fort Saint- Jean, in present-day St-Jean-sur-Richelieu; and Fort Sainte-Anne, on Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain. All of these but Chambly were abandoned after the British took Québec, falling into ruin and eventually fading into the landscape. The fort we see today was the third built on the site, in 1711. Chambly saw action during the American Revolution, but by the time of the War of 1812, it had been rendered moot by Fort Lennox, closer to the border. It was revived briefly during the Fenian Raids of the 1860s.

In 1882, the journalist Joseph-Octave Dion, a son of Chambly, took it upon himself to begin restoration of the fort, having recognized its historical importance. He actually lived on the site for thirty years, serving as primary guide and interpreter. The Canadian government eventually adopted it as a National Historic Site. The museum exhibits inside focus on life in a military garrison during the French regime. There are also displays of a multitude of artifacts found during archeological digs conducted between 1965 and 1985.

After, I take a drive through the countryside in search of a cidrerie or two--this part of Québec, southeast of Montréal, is littered with apple orchards. Meander roundabout to the village of Rougemont, where I find Cidrerie Jodoin. I'm interested in this one because they also distill apple brandy. I get a quick tour and see the still--they only run it in the winter--but can't purchase the brandy, which, according to Québec law, can only be sold at the provincial liquor stores. I buy a variety of cider products, anyway, and pick up some more at Coteau Rougemont, another cidrerie down the street.

This part of the province is very attractive--rustic and rural, yet only a short drive from Montréal. The land is mostly billiard-table flat, but is punctuated by the picturesque Monteregian Hills, a string of volcanic plugs running east from the city. I'd love to spend more time.

Back in Chambly, I dine at a local pizzeria. My "individual" pizza has about a half a pound of cheese on it. Shouldn't finish it...but I do.

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